Meet Errol Doebler | Former Navy SEAL Officer, FBI Special Agent International Terrorism Investigator, FBI SWAT Operator, Combat Veteran, Founder of Leader 193

We had the good fortune of connecting with Errol Doebler and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Errol, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Towards the end of my 13 years with the FBI, I had become very frustrated with the FBI leadership and culture. While I loved the job as an FBI Special Agent, I felt that the FBI culture and leadership left much to be desired. I’m not one to sit around and complain about my lot in life so I had a decision to make. I could simply accept the culture and move on, or I could stand by my beliefs and leave.

Given my background as a United States Naval Academy Graduate, U.S. Naval Surface Warfare Officer, U.S. Naval Special Warfare Officer (Navy SEAL), FBI Special Agent International Terrorism Investigator, FBI New York SWAT Operator, Combat Veteran, and business leader and executive, I felt I had a lot to offer the world from a leadership perspective. I’m not sure, as a matter of fact, that there is another resume like mine out there.

So, with that in mind, I decided to bet on myself, leave the FBI, and start my own leadership consulting company, Leader 193.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
If you ask 10 people what their definition of leadership is or what makes a great leader you are very likely to get 10 different answers. And, there will be merit to all the different answers. So the “art” of leadership consulting is being able to send a message of leadership that will resonate with everybody; CEO, individual contributor, little league coach, parent, etc. This sounds impossible because everyone in business will tell you that you can’t cater to everyone. In most cases I agree. Except, though, when it comes to leadership.

What separates Leader 193 from the crowded leadership consulting field is that I’ve developed a process that anyone can employ for any situation. This process is born from my personal experience solving problems in the world’s most dangerous environments as a Navy SEAL officer and FBI Special Agent working international terrorism cases around the world.

At its core, leadership is problem solving. How do I motivate a team or individual? How do we scale? How do we hire and fire? How do we adjust to an economic downturn? How do we establish a sustainable and transferable culture?

When we realize that the brain goes through the same process regardless of the size or severity of the problem or challenge we are faced with, those problems no longer seem insurmountable. Instead, they seem orderly. What I am most excited and proud of is that when my process, The Leader 193 Way, is followed both leaders and individual contributors can effectively solve any challenge or problem in the most chaotic environments.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
When company comes to Carbondale, Colorado the itinerary is pretty easy. Let’s say for arguments sake you are coming to visit in winter time. We start with getting settled by enjoying the view of Mount Sopris, perhaps with a nice bottle of wine from either Four Dog Fine Wine and Spirits or Catherine Store.

In the morning we wake up and go for a nice breakfast and a specialty latte at the Coffee Connections and head to Snowmass Mountain for a day on the slopes. Of course we could choose from one of the other 3 mountains in the area like Buttermilk, Aspen Highlands, or Aspen Mountain. I’m partial to Snowmass so that’s where we’ll go.

As we are skiing and meeting people from literally all over the world we’ll need to break for lunch. If we have the kids with us (or even if we don’t) we’ll choose between a nice hearty bowl of soup or stew at The Stew Pot or perhaps some barbeque at Big Hoss Grill (my kids’ favorite). If it just us adults then my go to is Venga Venga for a big beautiful burrito and Margarita.

For dinner, my preference is the grill for steaks and picking up where we starting; marveling at the view of Mount Sopris. However, if we are compelled to go out we can either grab the best burger you’ll ever have at Sure Thing or sit down and enjoy the charm, comfort, and Alps style cuisine at Wienerstube’s Austrian Restaurant.

And, of course, if you are feeling a little fancy and want to do some great people watching just head into the city of Aspen and the rest will take care of itself.

Next, rinse and repeat.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I met my wife in the FBI. I was a Special Agent and she was an Intelligence Analyst and we worked many high profile international terrorism cases together out of the New York Office. She shared my frustration with the FBI culture. When I decided to leave the FBI we had two young children and one on the way. She supported, wholeheartedly, my decision to leave the FBI and start Leader 193 despite the financial risks.

Jen endured several more years of the FBI’s challenging culture, especially after I left “in protest”. I begged her to leave sooner, but she decided that she was going to leave on her terms, not due to the negative behavior directed toward her after I left.

Then, one day, she came home from work and calmly told me her decision to leave. Now, we run Leader 193 together and have not looked back.

She is my hero and Leader 193 would not be the success it is now without her.

Website: www.Leader193.com

Instagram: @Leader_193

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/errol-doebler/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leader193

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmHVyud6iQL-eZEtGFTl3hQ/videos